Grammy™ award-winner Sergio Mendes will headline the 2012 Silver Spring Jazz Festival. The ninth annual festival, also featuring other jazz musicians, will be held on Saturday, September 8, beginning at 4:30 p.m., on Veterans Plaza at Fenton St. and Ellsworth Dr.

Known for his bossa nova/jazz/funk musical style, Brazilian-born Mendes rose to fame in 1966 with his hit “Mas Que Nada” produced by Herb Alpert. It was the first time that a song, sung entirely in Portuguese, reached the top five on the Billboard magazine pop chart and sparked his rise as the most popular Brazilian entertainer.

Earlier this year, Mendes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song as co-writer of "Real In Rio" from the animated film “Rio.” In recent years he has collaborated with Will.i.am and The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, India Arie, Justin Timberlake, Erikah Bahdu and many others.

For more information, call Montgomery County Recreation at 240-777-6821.

Family Literacy Volunteers Needed

The Literacy Council of Montgomery County's English for Daily Living program is adding a new family literacy component for the 2012-2013 school year and volunteer teachers are needed to work with children and their families.

Children and their parents organized a demonstration of support for pedestrian safety measures installed by the County on Jones Bridge Rd. next to North Chevy Chase Elementary School. The traffic calming measures are slowing traffic and making it safer for pedestrians of all ages to cross the busy road.

Blair High School freshman Cullen Morris' entry was chosen as the winner of a text message contest that promoted pedestrian safety to high school students in the Four Corners community of Silver Spring. Hillary Yeboah, whose eyes are featured on the banner, was a winner of the "See Them See You" contest that urges pedestrians to establish eye contact with drivers.

The message of the importance of promoting pedestrian safety obviously hasn’t been lost on Montgomery County young people of various ages.

North Chevy Chase Elementary School students demonstrated their support for newly installed traffic calming measures on Jones Bridge Road. Blair High School student winners of a pedestrian safety contest produced an attention-getting poster with a compelling message.

This series of briefings held by the Montgomery County Council in 2012 addresses some of the most significant issues confronting the County and its future.

Council President Roger Berliner and Vice President Nancy Navarro announced the creation of the series in January, and the briefings were held as part of the Council’s regular general sessions at the Council Office Building.

The Montgomery County Board of Elections is seeking individuals with Spanish speaking fluency to serve as election judges at polling places on General Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

In accordance with the Election Law of Maryland, judges must be registered to vote in the State of Maryland, 18 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen. Judges must also be able to speak, read and write in English. Montgomery County residency is not a pre-requisite to serve. All judges will be compensated for training and for Election Day service.

The Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants for a four-year term on the County Board of Appeals. The term of Walter S. Booth (Democrat) will expire in September 2012. Mr. Booth is eligible for reappointment and has indicated his intent to apply for reappointment. This position can be filled by a Democrat, a Republican, a voter who declines to affiliate with a party or a voter who is a member of another party officially recognized by the Board of Elections.

Applications for the position must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18.

Duties of the Board of Appeals include making decisions on most applications for special exceptions as provided in the Zoning Ordinance; hearing and deciding requests for variances from development standards contained in the Zoning Ordinance; and hearing appeals from certain administrative decisions rendered by county government agencies.

Letters expressing interest, including a resume listing professional and civic experience, should be addressed to Council President Roger Berliner, Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850.